Championship hopefuls Nottingham Forest are reportedly interested in signing Yassin Ben El-Mhanni from Premier League club Newcastle United.
Aitor Karanka is a manager not exactly renowned for exciting, expansive football.
His Middlesbrough team came second in the Championship in 2015/16 despite scoring fewer goals than any side in the league’s top six. They also boasted the division’s best defensive record, which should tell you quite a bit about the Spaniard’s usual style.
But, speaking to the Nottingham Post, Karanka has indicated that he is now ready to shelve his arch-pragmatist reputation. With the likes of Joao Carvalho, Gil Dias, Diogo Goncalves and Joe Lolley arriving recently, he believes Forest have the tools to play a more attractive and attacking brand of football.
Yassin Ben El-Mhanni, then, should fit right in.
The Mail are claiming that Forest have joined Leeds United and Wolves in hoping to sign the 22-year-old on a free now he has left Newcastle United. El-Mhanni, if you did not know, is one of the most skilful and expressive footballers around.
Known as the ‘non-league Riyad Mahrez’ from his grassroots days, El-Mhanni is a genuine street footballer who has even acted as a body double for Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo while earning quite a substantial YouTube following.
El-Mhanni under Karanka does not sound like a match made in heaven at first. But if the coach is willing to adapt his style, the player could feel right at home.
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